


A Change of Sides

by halduronbrightwang



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Established Relationship, Faction Change, M/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 21:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15591312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halduronbrightwang/pseuds/halduronbrightwang
Summary: For one person, Orianstar would give up anything. For him, he would even do what was unthinkable, and leave the Alliance behind/





	A Change of Sides

Coming back to the fishing boat after a long day at the market was like a ton of bricks being taken off of his shoulders. Orianstar sighed, dropping his bags full of unsold fish onto the deck and kicked off his boots at the door so he wouldn’t track in the mud that had gotten caked on during the day. 

Orian was relieved to see Ashen where he usually was this time of day, sprawled out across the bed and running his fingers over that book with the makeshift hole-punch braille. A smile came over him as he watched him carefully feeling the pages, sometimes going over a line of holes several times and his lips moving as if he were spelling out a word to better understand. The fisherman padded over to the bed and joined him, Ashen’s only indication of hearing him come in the way his ears twitched at the sound of the door closing, the creak of the floorboards, the rustling of his clothes coated in Barrens dust. Ashen always heard him long before he even stepped foot on the ship anyway, Ori knew this and knew he was expecting him to come in at any minute, long since having gotten used to his own form of body language. Never did he think that the man being blind would make such a difference but now it was so easy to understand him after all their time together. 

Orianstar climbed up onto the bed next to Ashen and crossed his legs, one hand rubbing Ashen’s back as he read over his shoulder- the text between the holes in the pages that Ashen couldn’t see. It was the ship logs from what he could tell and after a few minutes reading them Orianstar realized that they were the ones from just after they’d met. The rogue seemed deeply caught up in his reading, humming slightly at his touch but still focused. 

“Ashen, love, I have something to show you.” Orianstar leaned back enough for the other man to sit up and put away the book, folding a dog ear in the page he was on. 

“What is it? Something from the market?” 

“No, give me your hand.” Ori shook his head and Ashen complied, sticking his hand out. He put his bandaged forearm in his palm and waited for the other’s reaction which came soon enough.

Ashen’s eyes widened and he ran his other hand up and down the soft linen bandage that covered Orianstar’s arm from the elbow to the wrist. His ears twitched wildly and soon pinned back in worry as he asked if he was injured. 

“No, no, I got a new tattoo a little while ago and it’s been long enough for you to touch. Go ahead and unwrap it.” Orianstar couldn’t contain the smile that grew over his face as Ashen undid the knot and the bandages fell, revealing the stark black ink embedded in his skin. There was still a halo of red irritation around the tattoo and it stung when Ashen’s fingers touched it but not so much that the fisherman was bothered by it much. Rather, he was excited as the image formed in Ashen’s mind of just what that symbol was and what it meant as his fingers traced over the raised irritated skin.

Again Ashen’s eyes went wide and faster this time he went over the mark again as if he didn’t believe it, again and again. 

“The Horde’s symbol.” 

Orianstar couldn’t help but kiss him after the words left his mouth. Ashen returned it and his fingers still ran over the fresh tattoo, feeling the raised sections of black ink. Ashen scooted himself up against Ori and wrapped an arm around his waist. 

“Does this mean…?” Ashen trailed off and leaned against him more, his head resting on his shoulder now. 

“Yes.” Ashen stopped all he was doing to turn to Ori, staring and searching for an answer as if he could see. Orianstar pressed his hand to Ashen’s cheek and drew him in close for another kiss, this time, Ashen was smiling through it. The weeks of petitioning, doing paperwork, filing documents, begging officials and judges, it was all finally over as marked by the letter Ori had gotten this morning, the wax seal cracked off with his knife and both still sitting on the table across the room. 

Right after he’d read it, probably a dozen times just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, he’d rushed out to the tattoo parlor on the other side of Ratchet to get the new tattoo forever marking him with his new allegiance and change of sides. No more would he have to worry when traveling in Horde territory of being stopped and questioned why a half elf would ever step foot in Orgrimmar and explain himself a dozen times with no proof. No more would he have to sneak around, always looking over his shoulder and hoping the orc following him was just also on her way to the market. Not ever again, not with such a bold symbol of his trust and dedication for Ashen marked forever on his skin.

“I’m officially a member of the Horde now.”


End file.
